The use of wood as a building material has existed for centuries. Wood is a material that has been in abundant supply and has characteristics, such as durability, flexural, compressive and tensile strength, which make a nearly ideal material for structural constructions. However, wooden materials can be weather and time sensitive and can degrade, thus necessitating the need to treat the wood to enhance its natural characteristics and guard against this deterioration.
More specifically, one of the drawbacks of utilizing wooden materials is penetration by insects, microbial agents, and climatic conditions such as temperature and climate changes. Attempts to solve this problem included chemical treatments of woods using various chemicals such as creosote pressure-treated wood, pentachlorophenol pressure-treated wood, and inorganic arsenical pressure-treated wood. However, these treatments necessitate the handling and utilization of potentially hazardous chemicals, some of which are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Once such common chemical treatment of wood has been the use of chromate copper arsenate, also known as CCA or arsenicum. CCA has been used to pressure treat lumber used for decks, playgrounds (play-sets) and other outdoor uses since the 1930's. Since the 1970's the majority of the wood used in residential settings was CCA-treated wood. However, due to CCA containing arsenic, a known carcinogen, any exposure to such a chemical is potentially hazardous to human health.
Thus, what is needed is a method to extend the useful duration of wood without using chemicals to accomplish the treatment.